Just over one month ago, the Xperia Z4 was announced for the Japanese market. Sony’s latest flagship phone included some reasonable internal improvements, but has largely the same design as its predecessor, the Xperia Z3. Now Sony have announced an international launch for the Z4, but outside of Japan they’re just calling it the Xperia Z3+.
It’s a nod to the merely iterative differences from one phone to the next, so the Xperia Z3+ name makes some sense. Still, it might be a bit weird if Sony announce the Xperia Z5 for Japan and an Xperia Z4 for the international market next year.
HTC and LG have also shipped minimally upgraded phones this year, the One M9 and G4 respectively. HTC’s efforts were particularly lacklustre, and have resulted in very poor sales for the device, while LG did more and have so far been rewarded for that. The other big Android maker, Samsung, bucked the trend by going for a complete redesign, which seems to have paid off well for them after a disappointing 2014.
So what can you expect in the new(ish) Xperia Z3+? In terms of design, you’re looking at a slightly slimmer and lighter model, which packs its guts into a frame that measures just 6.9 millimetres thick and weighs just 144 grams. The micro USB port has been made water-resistant too, so the Z3+ ditches the plastic flap used by the Z3. Other details are the same, including the 5.2-inch 1080p screen.
Inside, there are some more changes. The chipset has been upgraded from a quad-core Snapdragon 801 to an octa-core Snapdragon 810, which is backed with the same 3GB of RAM but now 32GB of internal storage (plus whatever you add via micro SD card).
The front-facing camera has also seen an upgrade, from 2.2 to 5.1 megapixels. The new unit also sports a wide-angle lens and digital image stabilisation. On the back, Sony have stuck with the same 20.7-megapixel sensor.
So – slimmer, faster and better for selfies, but overall it’s largely the same phone. Considering the warm reception received by the original Z3, that’s no bad thing. The phone will be available worldwide from June, and ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The Xperia Z3+ will be coming sim-free and unlocked to Mobile Fun soon! Right now we have the white and black versions available for pre-order. To place a pre-order, receive a stock notification email or to see more information, please check the product pages linked below:
We’ve already begun to prepare Sony Xperia Z3+ accessories and cases; we’ll take a closer look at these in the coming weeks. Of course, we’ll have much more to come before the phone’s launch this summer.
What do you think of Sony’s strategy? Let us know in the comments below, or write to us on Twitter @mobilefun!